catastrophic floods hit california. the atmospheric river fueling massive rain storms, with hurricane-force winds across the west coast. our meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking the system.

the u.s. launches a barrage of strikes in the middle east. we are live as america and its allies step up the response to the killing of three american soldiers in jordan last week. a historic case in the hands of a jury. deliberations begin today in the trial for the most of ethan crumbley, the team behind the worst school shooting in nbc history. our polls show president biden stumbling in the race for the white house. we learn new details on an immigration bill. striking a chord on the biggest night in music. taylor swift makes history while making fans' wildest dreams come true. plus, the surprise appearance that left the room buzzing. we'll have a full recap. it's monday, february 5th. "early today" starts right now. good morning to you. i'm frances rivera. we begin with the extreme weather pounding the west coast. california's governor has

declared a state of emergency as forecasters warn of extremely dangerous and life-threatening conditions. much of the state facing a mix of flash flooding and high winds. a tree crushed a car on the 101 freeway north of san francisco. officials say the driver was seriously injured. a hurricane-force winds wind warning was issued for central california's coastline for first time ever. more than 700 power outages are being reported across the state this morning as the wind brings down power line. >> the line is broken. it snapped from there to there. there's one dangling back there. >> firefighters in san jose shared this video of teams rescuing several people and their dogs from rising water. just one example of many water rescues being reported overnight. for more on these flood risks, here is nbc's dana griffin. >> reporter: continuous rainfall is raising concerns that creeks like this, which we have seen just within the last half hour

have significantly risen, is rising so fast right now. there is concern this could overflow its banks along with several other waterways through southern california. governor gavin newsom has issued a state of emergency for eight counties, include hearing in santa barbara, where several people have been told to evacuate. hundreds across southern california, some 380,000 people so far have lost power, and the storm is just getting started. on monday, schools have closed here in santa barbara as well as ventura and los angeles counties. there is a major concern for people to take this storm seriously, and officials have been warning that this could be potentially life-threatening. and the biggest concern, if you see standing water, do not drive through it. this storm and the wetness from this storm is expected to dry out on tuesday. but the threat of downed trees and landslides could remain for days. dana griffin, nbc news. >> and so now millions of people

are still under flood alerts a this hour. you want to get right to nbc meteorologist michelle grossman for an update on the forecast and what to expect. good morning, michelle. >> good morning, frances. this continues to be a tough situation. we're looking at the life-threatening flooding continuing throughout tomorrow. continuous rain, really heavy snow. we're measuring the snow in feet. also a chance for more mud slides, evacuations, power outages, because those winds are going to be gusting. as we look at this morning, we're looking at millions under alerts this morning. 38 million under flood alerts. 1 million under winter alerts. this is going to continue as we go throughout the next 24 hours. this is why. the atmospheric river. there is nowhere for this water to go, especially in the burn areas. we're looking at debris flows, rock slides, mud slides. and then tomorrow more heavy rain for southern california. we're going see mountain snow from the sierras. we could see a feet of snow. again, looking at the chance for flash flooding.

los angeles, long beach, we'll talk more about this. we'll also look at the rest of the week in just a few minutes. frances? >> a whole lot to discover. michelle, thank you. the united states has conducted widespread air strikes in the middle east, hitting both iraq, syria and yemen, targeting iran-backed militias in the region. iraq and syria reported dozens of deaths from the bombings, including civilians. president biden's national security adviser has said that the strikes will continue. and when kristen welker asked jake sullivan on "meet the press" if he'd rule out strike inside iran, here is what he said. >> sitting here today on a national news program, i'm not going to get into what we've ruled in and ruled out from the point of view of military action. what i will say is that the president is determined to respond forcefully to attacks on our people. the president also is not looking for a wider war in the middle east. >> for more on this, let's go live to claudio lavanga. claudio, good morning. walk us through the most recent developments. >> good morning, frances.

let's start with saturday when the u.s. and the uk said their day struck 36 houthi targets in 13 different locations in yemen. missiles fired from u.s. navy ships stationed in the red sea, including the uss kearny and the dwight d. eisenhower. you can see some of this on centcom posted on its x account. on top, more than two dozen aircrafts when launched from the eisenhower with bombs and missiles used in those strikes. now in a joint statement, the u.s. and the uk said among the targets were, and i read buried weapons storage facilities, missile and raiders. then a few hours later on sunday morning in the early hours of sunday, sent com said they launched another attack. this time they struck four cruise missiles stationed in areas once again controlled by houthi rebels in yemen. they said they post threats not

only to u.s. navy ships in the red sea, but to commercial vessels navigating in the area. on the diplomatic fronts, the u.s. secretary of state antony blinken is expected to arrive in saudi arabia and only a few hours from uno. this is the fifth trip he takes in the middle east since the october 7th attack. now he will also touch on egypt, qatar, israel, and the west bank. he says he will continue to push for the air force to secure the release of remaining hostages in the hands of the u.s., and also for a humanitarian post that allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to the palestinians. >> a lot of work at hand. claudio, thank you. overnight, the senate released the text of their long-awaited national security bill which includes new tougher border policies. the bipartisan agreement would add significant immigration restrictions and raise the standard to get asylum in the u.s. the new bill will be a major focus on capitol hill this week. but it's also a dominant issue in the 2024 election. this as a new nbc news poll

shows president biden with his weakest numbers yet in a hypothetical one-on-one against donald trump. here is nbc's aaron gilchrist. >> reporter: a new gauge of the fight ahead for president biden's reelection. republican front-runner and former president donald trump increasing his lead in a new national nbc news poll, now up five points in a hypothetical general election matchup. biden also trailing by double-digits on the top issues for voters. despite a growing economy, trump is ahead by more than 20 points on that issue. the same goes for crime and violence. the president on the campaign trail celebrating a win in south carolina's democratic primary and spending sunday night in vegas ahead of nevada's no, ma'am night contest. he is courting latino voters, a critical voting block with whom our polls show biden and trump tied. biden also trailing trump by more than 40 points on immigration and securing the border as the senate prepares to release a new bipartisan immigration bill, including an end to the controversial policy known as catch and release.

>> those who do not qualify will quickly be returned to their home countries. >> reporter: but it may not stand a chance with trump pushing republicans to vote no. >> the deal they're looking at is terrible. any republican that signs it should be ashamed of himself or herself. >> is donald trump calling the shots here, mr. speaker? >> of course not. he is not calling the s should. >> they're not working to find real solutions for the american people. they are following orders from the former president. >> reporter: at the border, texas governor greg abbott hosting republican governors who oppose the bill and blasting president biden. >> the open border policies that joe biden has allowed can no longer be tolerated. >> reporter: meanwhile, presidential candidate nikki haley still making a big push to win the south carolina republican primary. taking on both front-runners on "snl." >> "the sixth sense" remember that one? i see dead people. >> yeah, that's what voters will say if they see you and joe on the ballot.

. >> and our thanks to aaron for that report. fani willis has admitted to a special relationship in her case against former president trump. nathan wade is seen to the right of willis in the pictures. in a 176-page filing, willis argued the relationship does not compromise the integrity of the investigation, but mr.trump and one of his co-defendants are now seeking to have them both disqualified from the case set for later this year. they say they intend to prove that wade and willis were seeing each other when she hired him. later today, a jury will begin deliberations in the landmark case against jennifer crumbley. she is charged with involuntary manslaughter for failing to prevent her son from shooting and killing four fellow high school students in november of 2021. crumbley can face 20 years in prison. her husband faces the same charges, but will be tried simply. all right. now let's get a check on the weather for the week ahead with nbc meteorologist michelle

grossman. michelle, i know we've got some storms out west, major ones. how about the rest of the country? >> we have two major stories. yes, we have that major storm, and then a warm-up for the middle of the country to the east. temperatures well above february. february warmth from the northern plains down to the southern plains. lots of sunshine. so we have that strong storm in the west. really dry through the middle of the nation, the great lakes. we have some showers and storms throughout the southeast today. and then we're dry, really nice day in the northeast to the midatlantic. also parts of new england. we had a nice weekend finally. we're going to continue that today. above average temperatures once again on wednesday. looking good in the middle of the country. sunny and mild throughout the south central states. rocky snow on wednesday. we're going to see feet of snow e looking at sunny skies in little rock, memphis, and mostly cloudy skies in dallas, with

temperatures in the 60s. all right. that's your monday forecast. >> okay, michelle, thank you. >> sure. coming up, celine dion shocks the grammys in a surprise appearance amid her health battle. us, 'rplwee back in 60 seconds with the devastating wildfires tearing across south america this morning. ♪♪ this is not just a refill. ♪♪ ♪♪ this is not just a delivery. ♪♪ this is being independent, together. ♪♪ walgreens sometimes your work shirt needs to be for more than just work. like when it needs to be a big soft shoulder to cry on. which is why downy does more to make clothes softer, fresher, and better. downy. breathe life into your laundry. life doesn't stop for a cold.

honey... honey... dayquil severe honey. powerful cold and flu symptom relief with a honey-licious taste. dayquil honey, the honey-licious, daytime, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever, power through your day, medicine. welcome back. this natural disaster is tearing across the south american country of chile the morning of out of control wildfires have killed over one hundred people and are closing in on major cities. nbc's josh lederman has the latest. >> reporter: a wind-whipped inferno in chile. turning the skies into an orange hellscape. thick smoke blanketing the densely populated valparaiso region, normally a beachside paradise, now a death trap. president gabriel boric saying the death toll is already in the 60s by midday, quickly rising to 99 later sunday, according to the medical examiner's office is certain to rise even higher.

that makes this chile's worst natural disaster in 15 years. horrifying videos showing cars dodging flames on the highway. more than 1300 homes destroyed in one area alone, chile's government says. in some neighborhoods almost nothing is left. we need help this vina del mar resident says, food for our pets, supplies. "i lost my house, everything." wildfires are common in the sizzling chilean summer, but these flames are being fueled by intense heat, heavy winds and low humidity, part of the el nino weather system. tonight chile's military is helping firefighters attack the blaze by plane, helicopter and on the ground. battling wind gusts up to 37 miles an hour with no end in sight. josh lederman, nbc news. still to come, flowers and fast cars. we break down the biggest

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♪ ♪ i remember when you were driving, driving in your car, speeds so fast i thou was drunk ♪ ♪ city lights snoths. >> i mean, the goose bumps, right? legendary singer-songwriter took the driver's seat at the 66th annual grammy awards on cbs. chapman joined luke owens for a duet of her song "fast car." the two were nominated for an intense performance of kill bill by the film, and a stage was all set for two music icons later in the night. in her first ever performance at the ceremony, you have folk legend joni mitchell will an

emotional rendition of both sides now accompanied by brandi carlile, and several other artists, and then this guy, billy joel made downtown los angeles feel like madison square garden. the piano man serenaded music's biggest night with the debut performance of "turn the lights on" in his first new single in nearly two decades. you watched the whole thing. i woke up and had alert after alert of all the news being made from the grammys. i wish i would have stayed up. >> i could not sleep. it was on in the background so i kept looking over. i loved billy joel, joni mitchell, speaking of chills. that was so good. and our kids loved it. they don't even know that. >> i can't wait. >> a banner night for female artists who dominated. victoria monet beat out the up and comers closing ice spice, jelly roll to take home best new artist. and billie eilish found out she was made to win an award. she was so grateful. it was so cute. alongside her brother finneas

for what was i made for off the "barbie" soundtrack. such a good song. and miley cyrus got her flowers for "flowers." i was shocked by this. she took the podium choice as flowers won boast record of the year and best pop solo appearance. and okay, keep going. and as if album of the year wasn't already an event, a rare public appearance by celine dion, so good, turned into a moment to remember. the iconic singer who is suffering from stiff person syndrome received a standing ovation from a grammys crowd before presenting the final trophy of the evening. >> and the grammy goes to -- taylor swift. >> all right. with this win, taylor swift made grammys history as the first artist to take home the award for album of the year four

times. a historic win capped off a night where taylor already made plenty of headlines. once -- i'm messing up this morning. i'm so sorry. when she revealed her 11 studio album is dropping on april 19th. we were talking about this. because we had no idea. she kept this a secret for two years. and that's where she sort of told everyone. >> and everybody was reading between the lines. they're like reputation, tv, reputation, tv. >> i wasn't sure which one it was going to be. >> no travis there. when we come back, how president biden is bucking a super bowl tradition again. and over the weekend pups in colorado had a doggone good time. oking. tell me you're joking. uh, it's a little early for jokes, but here it goes. this muffin goes on vacation— what's happening? you said “joking” three times, that's why i'm here. uh, anyway, so this muffin— well i was just excited about my new car. -new car? oh, you don't need a joke, you need a jake. [singing] like a good neighbor, state farm is there. your state farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. alright, i've got a show, so—

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office, but raking in only 18 million. and the show "the chosen" went all out with theater premieres for the fourth season. episodes one, two, and three debuted bringing in over six million. and the beekeeper at third place. and a snowstorm didn't stop a colorado town from hosting its annual goldens in golden event. hundreds of goldens and their owners gathered from all over the country for the tail wgiagng celebration. early today will be right back. i don't feel so good either. ♪ this is not just 1-hour delivery. ♪ this is not just medicine. ♪ this is fast relief... ...for those who can't take a time out. ♪ walgreens. you can't leave without cuddles. but, you also can't leave covered in hair.

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got the chance to see the latest work firsthand. >> i would love to do another super bowl painting. >> reporter: bill rose is the artist behind two iconic images celebrating super bowls liv and lvii. >> painting a coat in red. >> reporter: right now he is working on his latest piece. >> it will magically turn into something that looks real close to that. >> reporter: taylor swift wearing that iconic 87 jersey turned jacket. let's be honest, we all kind of wanted one, right? >> so i went and did this yesterday afternoon, basically. so it's really just a first pass. >> reporter: i'm a swiftie. i have a way of working her into just about every story i do. so i knew i had to do this one too. >> it just seemed like kind of a natural. she is obviously such a cultural icon. and now a big part of chiefs culture. >> reporter: but guys, i was shocked when bill dropped this nugget. >> i'm self-taught. so i didn't even know i could draw until i was like 45. >> reporter: i mean, bill is a super nice guy and all, really.

but he was describing the process of how he started painting. and he said he just looks at a picture and paints it. yeah, must be nice, bill. anyways, he's glad he found out he can paint because it's such a huge piece of his life. now you could maybe say you're in your painting era. >> in my painting era, exactly. i like that. i might use that. i think i will remain in my painting era until i leave this world. but, yeah, that's the era i'm in. >> reporter: so if the chiefs get the job done, bill's going to be ready for it. >> yeah, i would love to do another -- another super bowl painting. man, oh, man, that would be so cool. but i don't want to think about that. i don't want to jinx it. >> better get that canvas and paint ready. thanks for that report. next weekend we'll also include new year's celebrations for billions of people. february 10th is the new year according to the lunar calendar.

it is the biggest holiday in china. but it is celebrated around the world like this event in seattle over the weekend. >> we want to make sure that we do the city proud and we do it justice, with how proud we are with our culture. >> the lunar new year is known as the spring festival. there are 50 days of festivities ending with the lantern festival. thank you so much for starting your week with "early today." i'm frances rivera. have a great monday, and we'll see you right back here tomorrow.

california inundated. why threatening storms and hurricane-force winds storms rip across the west coast. our meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking the syste